In his first four runs for public office beginning in 2005, Ward 12 Cleveland City Council member Anthony Brancatelli has never failed to get at least 69% of the general-election vote. Whatever else happens on Nov. 2, that personal factoid is likely to change.
It is not that Brancatelli, 64, a lifelong resident of the ward, whose 16-year tenure on council was preceded by 17 years as executive director for the nonprofit Slavic Village Development, has suddenly lost touch with his constituents. What has Brancatelli fighting for his political life is Rebecca Maurer, a 32-year-old live wire who quit her job as a lawyer for the Student Borrower Protection Center in May to devote herself full-time to unseating him.
She is by far the most formidable opponent he has faced.
Brancatelli outpolled Maurer and two others in the Sept. 14 primary, with 975 votes to Maurer’s 895 – but there are 258 votes that went to the other two that are out there for Maurer to get, plus some, and to that end she says she has knocked on 5,000 doors since she began campaigning.
Much as we admire Maurer’s drive and her determination, fresh ideas and eagerness to shake up the status quo, however, we are concerned about whether her zeal for change may overcome her judgment or the need to keep Ward 12′s specific needs in mind, too.
Brancatelli has long been one of the most steady and effective members of council, including as a founding leader of the Cuyahoga Land Bank, which acquires and organizes blighted and abandoned properties, making them available for sale. He is also active, via “Vision for the Valley,” in efforts to support Cleveland steelmaking in his ward, including keeping the Cuyahoga River safe for shipping while also protecting and expanding its recreational assets.
Still, Brancatelli has left himself vulnerable to a reform challenge by his reluctance to take decisive action to advance important policies, such as “pay to stay” and “source-of-income” legislation to protect renters that housing justice advocates believe he’s stalling.
Brancatelli also failed to challenge Council President Kevin Kelley, who is running for mayor, for Kelley’s self-serving use of a Council Leadership Fund PAC primarily to support the candidacies of council members who back Kelley’s mayoral bid -- including Brancatelli.
Maurer would certainly shake things up in City Hall, and we might have been more inclined to recommend her in this race had it not been for a recent dust-up involving Ward 8 Council member Michael Polensek.
Polensek had sent an email to an ally saying that his Ward 8 opponent, Aisia Jones, is part of a cabal of far-left candidates led by Maurer who want to turn Cleveland into Portland, Oregon. Instead of giving the email the casual brushoff it deserved, Maurer went on the attack, accusing Polensek of racism against Jones, who is Black, and of employing “statements that fall directly into the dangerous and centuries old conspiracy theory about Jewish ‘puppet masters’” against Maurer, who is Jewish. Yet neither race nor religion were mentioned in Polensek’s diatribe.
It was distressing to see Maurer go immediately toward that kind of divisive accusation, something we need less of – not more – on council. Still, no matter what happens Election Day, we hope she remains active in politics.
Brancatelli’s experience on council and 33 years as an advocate for the citizens of Ward 12 and the city at large make him the better candidate in this race. Ward 12 voters should return Anthony Brancatelli to council for a fifth term in the Nov. 2 election. Early voting has begun.
The candidates for Cleveland City Council Ward 12 -- incumbent Anthony Brancatelli and lawyer Rebecca Maurer, who finished the Sept. 14 primary only 79 votes apart -- were interviewed by the editorial board of The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com on Oct. 22 as part of its endorsement process. Listen to audio of this endorsement interview below:
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Other resources for voters:
The League of Women Voters vote411.org voters’ guide.
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